In a big city like Paris you will probably want to go to more than one area and that often means figuring out transportation. Some of your options to get around include taxis, Uber or another ride-sharing app, or public transportation. In this post we discuss all things public transportation in Paris including how to get to and from the airport, using the Metro around the city and going other places in France.
Traveling To and From Paris via the Airport
Flying into Paris you will most likely fly into Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport Or Paris-Orly Airport. Orly Airport is about 17 km to the 1st arrondissement which is considered to be the city center. Charles de Gaulle (CDG) Airport is about 33 km.
Paris-Orly Airport
1. Taxi
A taxi will take you about 20-30 minutes from Orly Airport depending on which part of the city you are staying in.
2. Train
Taking the train from Orly Airport to the city center will require transferring trains. First you will take the Orlyval Metro (serving the airport- there are stops at 2 terminals within the airport) to the Anthony Train Station. There you will be able to transfer to a different line to get exactly where you want to be, most likely the RER B train line.
Depending on where your destination is, the train will probably take about 50-60 minutes.
3. Bus
You can take the Orly Bus, which is a little more expensive but shorter. Or you can take the public bus, which will be cheaper but will take longer because it makes more stops.
Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport
1. Taxi
A taxi will take you about 45-55 minutes from Charles de Gaulle Airport depending on which part of the city you are staying in. This will definitely be an expensive option because of the distance.
2. Train
You can take the train straight from CDG Airport (its own stop) to the city center on the RER B line. This line stops at 2 major stations including Gare de Nord in the 10th arrondissement or Chatelet- Les Halles in the 1st arrondissement. Both of these are large stations where you can transfer to other lines if needed.
Travel Truth: We took the train from CDG Airport to the city center. We followed signs after baggage to the trains. We walked downstairs to the train terminal and waited in line for about 30 minutes to buy tickets. Keep in mind there are two types of machines to buy tickets. One type of machine takes credit cards and the other type takes only exact (cash) change. Everyone was waiting for the credit cards machines which is what caused the wait time. Overall though it was totally doable and much cheaper than a taxi.
3. Bus
You can take the Roissybus, which is an airport to city center bus line. Or the public bus, which will take significantly longer because it makes more stops along the way. The bus will take over an hour to get to the center of Paris.
Don’t Get a Fine at CDG!
Getting back to CDG Airport from Paris we took the Metro to a larger station. Then we transferred to the RER B line to go all the way to the airport. At the first station we bought 2 one-way Metro tickets. Then without leaving the station we transferred to the RER B line. We never left the station but navigated by using the signs to the platform for the RER B line. Because we never left we were never prompted to buy another ticket.
We didn’t think much of this as we were following the signs and just got on. What we didn’t realize is that we switched train lines which requires a new kind of ticket.
So we got to the CDG Airport station and were going up into the airport entrance when we were stopped and asked for our ticket. There were people (we think that worked for the transportation company) asking for everyones ticket to verify that you did buy, and pay for, a ticket. Well, we bought a ticket for the Metro for the first leg of our journey to the airport but we didn’t have a RER ticket. So we were fined because we did not have the appropriate ticket. Because of that we were being accused of not paying what we should have.
Travel Truth: In full disclosure, we had no idea we were doing anything wrong (or if we really did). No signs said to buy another ticket nor did we have to go through any ticket stands while transferring. We’re not totally sure this wasn’t a tourist scam. Make sure if you are transferring lines within the train system you double check you have the right ticket. The fine was about 100 Euros for the two of us. We obviously did not want to pay it (thats a lot of money) but had a flight to catch. The other alternative they gave us for not paying was to dispute it and call the police. Clearly we didn’t have time for that as we had a flight home that we did not want to miss.
Using the Metro in Paris
We weren’t looking to spend a lot of money on transportation within the city so we chose to use the Metro whenever walking wasn’t an option. For us we walked wherever we could if it was about a 30-45 minute walk or less. That’s just our preference as we enjoy seeing what’s around in a new place.
Make sure to check out our 4 Day Travel Guide to Paris to get the most out of your time in the city!
We found public transportation super easy to navigate within Paris. We took the train to and from the airport, to and from Versailles, and within Paris. Tickets can be bought using the automatic ticket machines in the stations.
Travel Truth: There is always a language button on the first screen. We found it easiest (obviously) to switch it to English so we knew exactly what ticket we were choosing. We also found two different types of machines. One was a touch-screen which you touched to select options. The other had a rolling bar that you used to roll the curser on the screen to select an option.
There were some times when the train was busier but we were always able to get on and always felt safe. Paris is notorious for pickpockets (although it seems like every city in the world is) so while we always felt safe and had no issues you should still be aware of your surroundings and watch your belongings. They actually play a recording on the train to be on the lookout for pickpockets in case you forget.
Read More: 5 Free Things to do in Paris
Traveling from Paris to Nice
We took the TGV train to Nice. We booked the tickets, using the website Loco2.com, about two and half weeks beforehand and had no issues with them. There are some different options like first class or standard class and type of seat.
We found the train, both ways, to be extremely comfortable and easy to use.
On the outside of each train car there is a number and your ticket should have a number as well. That is how we found our car and seats as there were many different cars and a lot of people.
Travel Truth: We initially boarded the first car we saw thinking each seat on the entire train had an individual number. We actually politely tried telling a very nice lady that she was in our seats before realizing the first class trains are first before the standard class cars. Make sure to double check the type of train car you are in and that it’s the one you are supposed to be in.
We chose not to get first class tickets and felt totally comfortable for the ride. There are places at the entrance to the train car for luggage as well as within the car on the floor about halfway through each car. We put our luggage in the floor storage within the car as we felt it was easier to keep an eye on. The train did make other stops so having it closer just made us feel better about people coming and going.
On the train back from Nice to Paris a police officer did get on the train at one stop asking everyone to make sure they had all their luggage and belongings. A very nice passenger nearby translated for us that it is common on some stops for people to come on and steal luggage or other things so just be cautious!
Do you use public transportation when you travel?
